Registry Established for Molecular Markers

Improving methods for identifying the sources of contaminated waters is one of the areas of emphasis. One very promising area of methods research uses “molecular markers” from DNA and RNA found in the contaminated waters to help determine whether the source of waste contaminating a water body is of human or animal origin, and to identify the type of animal. This information can help greatly in determining the risk to human health and in focusing efforts to remove the contamination. Researchers in this arena identified the need for a central registry containing the methods that have been tried, with sufficient information about the tested markers so that other researchers and managers can choose methods appropriate for their area and likely sources of contamination.

The Water Quality Team identified the information needed by researchers and managers and organized it into a web-based registry. This registry is open for addition of new molecular markers and new marker methods and is intended to be a resource for all such research. New information submissions are reviewed before addition to ensure the integrity of the registry contents. The registry can be found below. Please click on file and “Save” to your computer, then opened with Microsoft Excel.